Comparison

Scenic Map Alaska vs Garmin Explore™

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Scenic Map Alaska

Explore detailed 3D topographic maps of Alaska and the entire world, with offline access and satellite imagery. Navigate, track your location, and customize map views for hiking, driving, or boating.

Highlights
  • Offline 3D topographic maps
  • Global online map coverage
  • Satellite image overlays
  • GPS location tracking
  • Customizable map views
  • GPX track import/export
  • 3D tilt and flight simulator modes
Features
Currently charting
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A 3D topo map of State of Alaska, USA. The vector map data is contained within the app and can be used without an internet connection. Use it in a car, a boat, a plane or while hiking. It is like having the entire state in your pocket. Scenic Map now covers the entire world via online maps. The maps are cached automatically so they can still be used when there is no cell coverage. Turn on Online Map in the Settings menu and you can then scroll or go to any location on the planet. Satellite image overlays add breathtaking detail and realism to the maps (tap preset 2 or 4 when Online Map is enabled). You can use them as you travel to see what is hidden from view at ground level. This takes moving maps to a whole new level. Use the two finger vertical swipe gesture to tilt the map for a 3D view. Scroll like a map or fly like a flight simulator. Enable Joystick Gestures in the Settings menu and then fly around the terrain using a virtual joystick. Prefer only 2D maps? Enable the 2D Map option in the Settings menu. Scenic Map is simply the best 3D topo map available for a mobile device. You will see incredible detail while scrolling, rotating and zooming perfectly smoothly. You will see every road even if you zoom out to the altitude of a satellite. As you zoom in, you will see every small bump and hollow of the Earth and terrain features as small as ten meters. Unlike old fashioned topo maps, Scenic Map’s roads and trails are up to date thanks to OpenStreetMap.org. It contains polygons for urban areas, shopping malls, an ever growing number of buildings and many other features, The best lake, pond, stream and rivers from the USGS and Canadian public databases are also included. Tap the GPS center button to begin tracking your location. As you move, you will generate a track file. Tracks can be replayed with video like controls to speed up, slow down, pause, restart or skip to the end. You can display existing tracks while recording another if you want to retrace your route. When online, you can automatically create a route from your current GPS location to any other point on the map. Tracks can be received from or sent to other apps in GPX format. GPS recording stops automatically after you have remained stationary for some time or you can choose to manually stop tracking by tapping on the top track in the Tracks view. Never before have maps been this customizable. For example, you can turn on or off the roads. You can change the lighting direction or remove terrain shading entirely. You can display contour lines even over satellite images. There are five presets which let you quickly switch between map styles. Use Metric, English or Nautical units and choose one of four different coordinate displays including UTM. Want to learn more about a map feature? Tap the target icon and center the feature under the compass rose to display its name, type, urban area, county, state, elevation and coordinates. You will also see a bearing line back to your current GPS location or from your location to a selected waypoint. The status bar shows the bearing direction and distance along with the map and GPS elevation, the track length, and your current speed and direction of travel. In-app documentation is provided in the Help section at the top of the Settings menu. Links are provided in the documentation to detailed coverage maps, tutorial videos, installation guide and blog at ScenicMap.com Map data © OpenStreetMap and contributors under the Open Database License Scenic Map supports GPS tracking while the app is in the background. Caution: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

About

Garmin Explore™

Navigate off-grid with this app, which pairs with a compatible Garmin device for trip planning, mapping, and navigation even without Wi-Fi or cellular service. Plan routes, download maps for offline use, and sync data to the cloud.

Highlights
  • Off-grid navigation
  • Trip planning
  • Offline map downloads
  • Pair and sync with Garmin device
  • Activity library
  • Cloud storage
  • LiveTrack location sharing
Currently charting
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OFF-GRID NAVIGATION When paired with your compatible Garmin device(1), the Garmin Explore app lets you use your mobile device for outdoor navigation, trip planning, mapping and more — with or without Wi-Fi® connectivity or cellular service. SEARCH TOOL Easily locate geographic points — such as trailheads or mountain summits — associated with your adventure. STREAMING MAPS For pre-trip planning, you can use the Garmin Explore app to stream maps when you’re within cellular or Wi-Fi range — saving valuable time as well as storage space on your mobile device. Download maps for offline use when venturing outside cellular range. PAIR, SYNC AND SHARE With Garmin Explore, you can pair your smartphone or tablet with your compatible Garmin device to sync and share data for off-grid adventures. Use downloadable maps for navigation anywhere. EASY TRIP PLANNING Plan your next trip by downloading maps and creating courses. Specify your start and finish points, and automatically create a course you can sync with your compatible Garmin device. ACTIVITY LIBRARY Under the Saved tab, review and edit your organized data, including your saved waypoints, tracks, courses and activities. See map thumbnails to easily recognize your trips. SAVED COLLECTIONS The collections list allows you to quickly find all data related to any trip — making it easy to sort and locate the course or location you’re looking for. CLOUD STORAGE The waypoints, courses and activities you’ve created will automatically sync to your Garmin Explore web account when you’re within cellular or Wi-Fi range, preserving your activity data with cloud storage. A Garmin account is required for storing your data in the cloud. LIVETRACK™ With the use of the LiveTrack™ feature, loved ones can follow your location in real time(2) and see data such as distance, time and elevation. What You Get with Garmin Explore • Unlimited map downloads; access topographic maps, USGS quad sheets and more • Aerial imagery • Waypoints, tracking and route navigation • High-detail GPS trip logging and location sharing • Unlimited cloud storage of routes, waypoints, tracks, and activities • Online trip planning 1. https://explore.garmin.com/appcompatibility 2. When used with your compatible smartphone, the Garmin Explore® app and your compatible inReach® technology-enabled Garmin device. The Bluetooth word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Garmin is under license.

Screenshots

Scenic Map Alaska4 screens
Garmin Explore™4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Garmin Explore™ at Free against Scenic Map Alaska's $1.99. Garmin Explore™ also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (1.1K vs 4). Scenic Map Alaska's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 4.2) and review sentiment (63% vs 46%). On ads, in-app purchases, chart position and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Garmin Explore™ is free to download; Scenic Map Alaska costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Scenic Map Alaska holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Garmin Explore™ has 1.1K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Scenic Map Alaska's written reviews are positive against 46% of Garmin Explore™'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Scenic Map Alaska ships an update every 6 months, Garmin Explore™ monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Scenic Map Alaska versus Garmin Explore™: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScenic Map AlaskaGarmin Explore™
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.5 (4 ratings) — better4.2 (1.1K ratings)
Positive reviews62.5% of reviews — better45.8% of reviews
Number of ratings41.1K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#152#99 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.1 — better18.4
Further details — not scored
Size65 MB452 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperGrangerFXGarmin

Customer experience

Scenic Map Alaska

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive62.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative25.0%

Garmin Explore™

All ratings1,046 ratings
Positive77.5%
Neutral5.8%
Negative16.6%
Written reviews958 reviews
Positive45.8%
Neutral11.3%
Negative42.9%

Bugs and requests

Scenic Map Alaska

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Garmin Explore™

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Sync failures between app and Garmin devices
  • Disappearing or corrupted user data
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS/Android versions
  • Unreliable offline map downloads

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to edit waypoint coordinates
  • More customization options for map layers and displays
  • Improved route planning and navigation features
  • Better syncing and data management between app and devices
  • Support for more Garmin device models

In-app purchases

None

Scenic Map Alaska

No in-app purchases

None

Garmin Explore™

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Scenic Map Alaska free?
Scenic Map Alaska costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Garmin Explore™ free?
Garmin Explore™ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Scenic Map Alaska or Garmin Explore™?
Scenic Map Alaska is rated higher. Scenic Map Alaska averages 4.5 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Garmin Explore™ averages 4.2 from 1.1K ratings.
Do Scenic Map Alaska or Garmin Explore™ have ads?
Neither Scenic Map Alaska nor Garmin Explore™ shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Scenic Map Alaska or Garmin Explore™?
Scenic Map Alaska ships an update every 6 months, and Garmin Explore™ monthly. Most recently, Scenic Map Alaska was updated on October 19, 2026 and Garmin Explore™ on October 21, 2026.
Which is more popular, Scenic Map Alaska or Garmin Explore™?
Scenic Map Alaska currently peaks at #152 in the App Store charts, and Garmin Explore™ at #99. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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